Urogenital infections remain a common problem, particularly in the female population. Bacterial adherence to the urogenital epithelium is recognized as an important mechanism in the initiation and pathogenesis of urinary tract infections (UTI) and, in particular, of vaginal infections. The urogenital pathogens originate predominantly in the intestinal tract and initially colonize the per-urethral region and ascend into the bladder, resulting in symptomatic or asymptomatic bacterial uria. Alternatively, these bacteria invade and then colonize the vagina causing there various types of symptomatic as well as asymptomatic vaginal infections. Thereafter, depending on host factors and bacterial virulence factors, the organisms may further ascend and give rise to pyelonephritis, respectively ascending infections of the genital tract in women. Urogenital pathogens express virulence characteristics that enable them to resist the normally efficient host defence mechanisms.
The use of bacteria of the autochthonous flora, such as lactobacilli, to exclude urogenital pathogens from colonizing the urogenital tract is an established concept studied rather extensively since years (see e.g. Cadieux et al.—Lactobacillus strains and vaginal ecology—Jama. 287:1940-41/2002; Butler B C, Beakley J W. Bacterial flora in vaginitis. Am J Obstet Gynaecol 1960; 78:432-40, Eschenbach D A, Davick P R, Williams B L, Klebanoff S J, Young-Smith K, Critchlow C M et al. Prevalence of hydrogen peroxide-producing Lactobacillus species in normal women and women with bacterial vaginosis. J Clin Microbiol 1989; 27:251-6, Sobel J D, Cook R L, Redondo-Lopez V. Lactobacilli: a role in controlling the vaginal microflora? in Horowitz B J, Mardh P-A, eds. Vaginitis and Vaginosis, pp 47-53. New York: Wiley-Liss, 1991, Lauritzen C, Graf F, Mucha M. Restoration of the physiological vaginal environment with Doederlein bacteria and estriol. Frauenarzt 1984; 4).
On the other hand gastro-intestinal infections remain a common problem in the human population. Bacterial adherence to the gastrointestinal epithelium has been recognized as an important mechanism in the initiation and pathogenesis of gastrointestinal tract infections (GH). Many gastrointestinal pathogens which colonize the intestinal tract may, depending on host factors and bacterial virulence factors, express virulence characteristics that enable them to resist the normally efficient host defence mechanisms.
The use of bacteria originating from the autochthonous microflora, like e.g. lactobacilli, to exclude pathogens from colonizing the gastrointestinal tract is a concept which has been studied rather extensively (see e.g. Alain Servin in “Antagonist activities of lactobacilli and bifidobacteria against microbial pathogens—FEMS Microbiology Reviews 2004—in press, available on line from sciencedirect website). Some of the lactic acid bacteria strains mentioned in the above literature have been highlighted for their effect in the gastrointestinal tract and been proposed as possible active agents suitable for treating various troubles or disorders caused by pathogens, e.g. diarrhoea.
The main goal of a therapy with bacterial agents should be to prevent overgrowth of pathogens until such a time that the normal vaginal or intestinal microflora can be re-established. In addition, probiotic therapy is considered as “natural” and without side effects in contrast with conventional chemical or antibiotic treatments.
Within that context it has been surprisingly observed that lactic acid bacteria strains representative of the healthy human vaginal flora which exhibited efficiency in the treatment of urogenital infections (see International Patent Application PCT/EP2004/011980 filed on Dec. 10, 2004 by Medinova A G, CH-Zurich) were also performing and consequently useful in the prophylactic or therapeutic treatment of intestinal infections or disorders initiated by gastrointestinal pathogens.
Nowadays, despite of the progresses which have already been made concerning the intimate knowledge of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains, their properties and their potential use in the probiotic area, there still remains a need to propose more convenient and more efficient bacteria, namely probiotic bacteria strains to the medical community.
The purpose of this invention is to provide new and useful probiotics particularly efficient in the treatment of disorders caused by various pathogens, namely infections or inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in mammals, especially humans, respectively of the urogenital tract in females, or in the restoration of a balanced and healthy urogenital or intestinal flora after e.g. severe medical treatments like those performed with antibiotics or chemotherapeutics.
The purpose of this invention is to provide as well new methods of prophylactic or therapeutic treatment of such infections or inflammatory diseases which involve specifically selected probiotic strains.